A Snake In The Swamp
by Tredbull
Summary: Another short story from the Hunt: Showdown universe.


A SNAKE IN THE SWAMP

The rain was pouring down. It had rained for days. The water made the terrain muddy. That did not stop the horse that came galloping down the dirt road. The rider knew their destination was close.

A bleak light could be seen up ahead. It was a building by the road.

As they came closer the horse slowed down and the rider got off. The hooded figure led the horse under a roof and tied it to a pole.

A large sign over the front door said `Ed`s Tavern`.

When inside she pulled back the hood of her cloak and shook off the rainwater. The tavern was a dim place. Low music from an old gramophone player could be heard, and behind the bar, a corpulent man could be seen polishing a drinking glass.

"Welcome in stranger!" he said, "What will it be?"

"One double whiskey." the woman said as she walked up to the bar.

"Coming right up,"

"There is no better way to get the warmth back than a strong drink on a rainy night." said a voice. It came from the corner.

A man with grey hair and a long coat sat at a table by himself.

He leaned forward as if he wanted to get a better look. The candle at the table lit up his face.

"Say, am I mistaken, or did the Blade Dancer just walk into the very same tavern as I am sitting in?" he said.

"How do you know that name?" the woman said as she took a sip of her drink.

"Well, your reputation precedes you." the man said, "Come and sit down. Except for Ed, there are only the two of us here and I could use some company."

The woman hesitated for a few seconds, but then moved over to the table and sat down.

"Now, you got my attention. Care to tell me where you have heard about me?" she said.

"I know sheriff Harding. He has told me a lot about the Hunters that are roaming these areas." the old man said, "Oh, where are my manners. I am Joseph Wilkins."

He put out his hand. She shook it without taking her glow off.

"Jane Collins."

"So, the sheriff talks. What did he say?" she said taking another sip of the drink.

"He only mentioned that you had done some outstanding work and cashed in several rewards from bounties that had been put out. As an experienced hunter myself, I know that collecting a bounty is not an easy task. Doing it more than once is rare for one person. You know what they say, If you enter the land of the lawless..."

"You are not guaranteed to return." she said. She was aware of the dangers of her profession. She knew a lot of people that had tried their luck in the bayou but had found nothing but a muddy grave.

"Yeah, that is what they say. A lot of bad people roam these parts nowadays. The infected area goes from Stillwater and all the way up to Dead Dogs Creek now. Outlaws, fortune-hunters, and cultists are drawn to the area like flies to cow shit. As if the monsters weren`t enough." he shook his head as if he was missing better days.

"If there is a partner you are looking for, then I am not interested." she added, " I work alone."

"Oh no. Not at all. I have retired from the hunting business. I am just keeping up with the news. I find the recent events so fascinating." Wilkins said, "But do you know who also works alone? The Viper. Harding told me he has arrived too. I would stay away from him if I were you. Have you heard of him?"

"The only thing I have heard about the hunter they call The Viper, is that he is as deadly as he is ugly." She said, "Never seen him though. Figured he might just be a myth."

"The man is as real as you and me," Wilkins replied. "I have only seen him from a distance, but Harding told me more about him. The rumors will have it that after receiving fatal injuries during a hunting mission, he was left to die. But stubborn as he is, he managed to crawl out of the swamp and survive. It took several days. No one knows how and why, but he had caught some kind of infection that changed him. Not the same as the other monsters that infest the bayou. It was something different. They say half of his face is covered with scales like a snake and there is something weird about his left eye. Hence the nickname. Like you, he always works alone and he has only been seen when he returns to claim his bounty rewards. It is said that if you find yourself on the wrong end of his high caliber rifle, your days are counted. His trusted machete is really thirsty too from what I hear."

Jane smiled a smug smile for herself. It was long since she lost the count of all the monsters she had killed while hunting. Her throwing knives had always carried her out of sticky situations.

"Snake-man or no snake-man. I don`t care." she said, "If he gets in my way, there will be one less snake in the swamp."


End file.
